Name: McAllen, Texas
Address: McAllen, TX

McAllen, TX RoadyGoat

McAllen sits low, just a bit over a hundred feet above sea level, where the thorny ebony trees meet the edge of town. It’s a place where the past and present mingle in interesting ways. Even before it was McAllen, named for the man who helped shape it in the early 1900s, people were here. For generations, prehistoric groups hunted along the Rio Grande, which is still the lifeblood of the valley. You can feel that history as you walk around. There's the Casa de Palmas, a grand old hotel dating back to 1918, a reminder of a time when McAllen was becoming a real city.

McAllen, TX RoadyGoat

The story of McAllen is a story of transformation, etched onto a flat landscape just a stone's throw from the Rio Grande. Long before John McAllen lent his name to the town, prehistoric people knew this land, following the river's course, hunting among the ebony trees and thorny scrub. It was a place of survival, a harsh but sustaining environment. But the arrival of the railroad in the early 20th century, and the formal founding of McAllen in 1904, signaled a new chapter. Suddenly, this remote corner of Texas was connected to the wider world. The Casa de Palmas, rising from the plains in 1918, became a symbol of that ambition, a beacon of progress in the growing town. McAllen’s destiny was always intertwined with its location. International trade became a lifeline, a constant flow of goods and people across the border. Retail bloomed, drawing shoppers eager for a taste of both cultures. You can see it in the food, too — a blend, like the flavors born at Taco Palenque, which started right here in 1987.

McAllen, TX RoadyGoat

McAllen's story is really about the river. For thousands of years, people followed the Rio Grande, finding life in this flat, thorny land. Even today, you can see the ebony trees that sheltered those early communities, their deep roots clinging to the soil. But what made McAllen different, what turned it into more than just another river settlement, was opportunity. Once the town took root in the early 1900s, it became a natural hub. Look at a map — we’re right on the border, a gateway to Mexico, and that proximity fuels us. Now, people come here for a lot of reasons. Maybe they're drawn to the shopping, the promise of a good deal, or the culture on display at the Convention Center, that incredible folk art collection. But ask any local why people *stay*, why they build their lives here, and they'll tell you it's the connection. It's the blend of cultures, the warmth of the community, the taste of a Taco Palenque breakfast taco, and the feeling that you're part of something bigger, something that stretches back centuries along the banks of the Rio Grande. And maybe, just maybe, they'll mention the tortoises, quietly making their home in the thorn scrub, a reminder that life finds a way, here in McAllen.

Paris Gum Factory

1942

During WWII, because of rationing, Andrew J. Paris (1919-1997) and his family had no sweets to sell in their Detroit, MI. tobacconist shop. In 1942, in Mexico City, Paris found an ample supply of candies and chewing gum to save his family's store. In 1945, he established an import business in McAllen bringing in gum from Mexico. In 1946, he converted Mexican chewing gum factories to bubble gum production and cornered the latex market. In Feb. 1947, LIFE magazine dubbed him the "Bubble Gum King." On Oct. 1, 1947, the Paris Gum Factory opened in McAllen, employing fifty Hispanic women in the air-conditioned building, with sales worldwide. The Art-Deco factory designed by Lucile Hendricks of McAllen closed in 1955. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2012

Historical Marker →

Garcia, Esteban

1931

Esteban Garcia, South Texas rancher and cattle breeder, was born on December 2, 1896, in Camargo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, the eldest of thirteen children of Amancio Garcia and Braulia de la Garza. The Garcia family had received an original land grant from the King of Spain in 1740. The sizable grant at one time included more than a quarter million acres on both sides of the Rio Grande. In 1827 Garcia's grandfather, Eligio Garcia, took over the active ranch management in a large portion of the area that is now Starr and Brooks counties. Esteban Garcia had little formal education, as he quit school in the sixth grade when his father became very ill. In 1913, when Esteban was seventeen, his father moved the family to the Artecitas Ranch on the banks of the Rio Grande. (The Artecitas Ranch was part of the original land holdings located near what is now La Grulla in Starr County.) Esteban Garcia married Maria Salome Izaguirre (also of Camargo, Mexico) in 1920; they had six children. At his father's death in 1923, Esteban took over management of the ranch. He actively supported the movement against Gen. Venustiano Carranza and helped provide munitions, weapons, and food to the anti-Carranzistas. Over the years Garcia lost a large amount of land to back taxes and debts inherited from his father; he not only worked Tacubaya, the family ranch in Brooks County, but also worked as a hired hand for other ranchers to support his family. With his love for ranching and his work ethic, he gained the respect and support of a number of influential Anglo ranchers. In 1931 Richard Kleberg from the King Ranch asked Garcia for his support in his bid for Congress. At that time in Brooks County, part of the district Kleberg would represent, Mexican Americans were not allowed to dance in public. Garcia agreed to support Kleberg and suggested that if the Brooks County situation changed, it would make his job of gathering support for him easier. On election day Mexican Americans in Brooks County celebrated Kleberg's victory by dancing in the streets. In the early 1930s vast amounts of natural gas and oil were discovered in South Texas. Standard Oil of Texas (now Exxon Corporation; see EXXON COMPANY, U.S.A. ) approached Garcia to lease his land for exploration. By this time Garcia had become the largest Hispanic rancher in South Texas and was looked upon as the spokesman for many smaller ranch operations. When Standard Oil came to him with their offer, he refused to sign any agreement that would not include a royalty payment system. Standard offered to increase the bonus money, but Garcia refused and further indicated that unless they came to an understanding, Standard Oil would not be signing any of the smaller ranchers in the area, either. With his influence, area ranchers held together and eventually gained not only the signing bonus but also fixed royalties on any producing well on their property. In 1935 Garcia moved his family from Tacubaya to McAllen because he wanted his children to receive a good education. In McAllen his eldest daughter, Alicia, and later his son, Esteban, Jr., were denied admittance into the public swimming pool because of their race. Garcia called several influential Anglo friends and politicians, demanding an explanation. He even suggested a commercial boycott by Mexican Americans if something was not done. Within weeks after his confrontation, the McAllen pool was desegregated. In 1932 Esteban, in partnership with his brother Eligio, had begun acquiring domestic and Mexican Brahman cattle , and by 1940 their herd was considered superior in the United States. In 1946 Esteban and Eligio obtained thirteen Zebu, or Bos indicus , Brahman cattle from Brazil; these were eventually recognized by the American Brahman Breeders Association and became a registered breed. As a consequence of his difficulty in registering the new breed, Garcia helped found the Pan American Zebu Association (now the International Zebu Breeders Association), w

Tsha Handbook →

Ortiz, Tomás

1953

Tomás Ortiz, a member of the música norteño duet Los Alegres de Terán, was born on June 2, 1924, on the San Rafael Ranch near General Terán, Nuevo León, Mexico. Drawn to music as a youngster, Ortiz was playing the bajo sexto and singing in the ranchera style by his teenage years. Partnering with accordionist Eugenio Abrego, Ortiz performed in General Terán. By 1947 Los Alegres de Terán performed on XET Radio in Monterrey. They also began to gain a reputation as musicians in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico. The duet then came to the attention of Arnaldo Ramírez who had recently founded the Discos Falcon recording label in McAllen, Texas, on the Texas-Mexico border. With their 1953 hit recording of the ranchera “Carta jugada” (“Playing Letter”) for the Falcon label, Ortiz’s career as a member of Los Alegres de Terán was launched. The discovery of the duet by the talent scout Felipe Valdez led the Columbia de Mexico recording company to sign Ortiz and Abrego to a recording contract. This opportunity ultimately brought them international acclaim. With Abrego, Ortiz successfully took the norteño sound to such diverse places as Japan, Iraq, Spain, and Africa. In 1983 the duet Los Alegres de Terán was inducted into the Conjunto Music Hall of Fame. Among the hit albums that Ortiz and Abrego recorded were Los Ojos de Pancha (Pancha’s Eyes) and Más y Más Corridos (More and More Corridos). During a long career, Ortiz issued more than one hundred albums and appeared in several movies as part of Los Alegres de Terán. Other hit songs included “Alma Enamorada” (“A Soul in Love”) and “Entre Copa y Copa” (“Between Cup and Cup”). Despite his great success as a Columbia recording artist, Ortiz continued his association with Falcon Records, writing songs and serving as its artistic director and talent scout. In 2004 Arhoolie Records released the CD Los Alegres De Terán, Grabaciones Originales: 1952–1954 , thereby introducing these early superstars of norteño music to new generations of listeners. Tomás Ortiz died on November 13, 2007, in Edinburg, Texas. A funeral service for him was held on November 16, 2007.

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Tom Mayfield

1898

(June 16, 1880 - November 26, 1966) Tom Mayfield left the Gonzales County farm of his parents, John and Maggie Mayfield, in 1898 to help buy horses for Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders. Between 1910-1921 Tom served as Pharr city marshal, Texas Ranger, and Hidalgo County deputy sheriff. His role in exposing a German-Mexican WWI plot in nearby San Diego and his amazing escape from a Mexican firing squad in 1921 made Tom a local celebrity. As Pharr-San Juan-Alamo's deputy constable (1938-1963) Tom gained the community's highest respect. He spent his last years as a resident of the San Juan Hotel. (1993)

Historical Marker → · 4.6 mi away

San Juan Plantation

1884

San Juan Plantation, on the Rio Grande near San Juan, Hidalgo County, is recognized as a historic landmark by an official Texas historical marker on the plantation headquarters. The founder and developer of this, the earliest and largest plantation in an area at one time considered suitable only for grazing, was John Closner , a law enforcement officer for twenty-eight years, sometimes called "the father of Hidalgo County." He began buying land in 1884, and by 1904 San Juan Plantation, so named by Mrs. Closner, comprised 7,000 acres. The total eventually reached 45,000 acres. By 1895 Closner had installed a pumping plant and constructed a network of canals and laterals for the first irrigation system from the Rio Grande in the area. The equipment came by water to Port Isabel and was hauled by wagon the fifty-odd miles to the plantation. Closner was the first in that area to raise alfalfa, of which he had 700 acres flourishing under several cuttings a year; the first to experiment with tobacco crops; the first to experiment with sugarcane by cross-planting hybrid cane seed from Mexico with seed from Louisiana; and the first to experiment with commercial crops of vegetables, fruits, melons, and nuts. His findings in such diversified farming set a wide example. The first telephone line in that area, installed in 1902, connected Closner's home in Hidalgo to the headquarters of the plantation. Later he constructed a line to McAllen; the Hidalgo Telephone Company was formed with Closner as president. As the plantation progressed, the number of families of workers increased. A substantial school building was erected and equipped at a cost of $1,500 for the children of the plantation. Sugarcane from the plantation won the gold medal at the 1904 Exposition in St. Louis for the finest sugarcane in the world. At that time the plantation devoted 800 acres to sugarcane, which was processed into piloncillo (cones of coarse brown sugar) for the native trade on both sides of the Rio Grande. Production of sugar processed from a 250-ton mill began when boilers for the mill arrived after many transportation difficulties and at great expense. In 1908 Closner incorporated the Rio Grande Valley Reservoir and Irrigation Company, with J. R. Alamía and W. L. Lipscomb, to expand irrigation efforts in the area; but the plan never materialized. In 1910 he sold his plantation for $250,000. By 1921 sugarcane was gone from the Valley, but cotton, citrus fruits, and vegetables became important products because of the rich soil, climate, and irrigation, assets that Closner had recognized in the mid-1880s. A historical marker was placed at the site of San Juan Plantation in 1964. In 1990 the site was privately owned.

Tsha Handbook → · 4.9 mi away

John H. Shary Home

1917

Built 1917 by Father of the Texas citrus industry, pioneer developer of Rio Grande Valley, and the Intercoastal Canal. For 20 years chairman Sharyland School Board. Here in 1953, Mrs. Shary, her daughter, Mrs. Allen Shivers, and Governor Shivers entertained President Dwight D. Eisenhower during Falcon Dam dedication. Shivers, 1949-1957 Governor, was chief executive longer than any other; headed one of state's most progressive administrations. A major event of his regime was the restoration of the tidelands to Texas. (1964)

Historical Marker → · 5.0 mi away

McAllen, Texas

Music in McAllen

Songs About McAllen

Artists From McAllen

Rivers & Roads in Song near McAllen

History of McAllen

McAllen, TX RoadyGoat

McAllen, TX RoadyGoat

McAllen, TX RoadyGoat

Paris Gum Factory

Garcia, Esteban

Ortiz, Tomás

Tom Mayfield

San Juan Plantation

John H. Shary Home

Things to Do in McAllen

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